1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fluid manifold systems that can be used for dispensing fluid from a single fluid source to a plurality of separate containers and, more specifically, to manifold port assemblies of such systems.
2. The Relevant Technology
It is common in the biopharmaceutical industry to dispense sterile fluids, such as media, buffers, and reagents, from a large primary container, where the fluid is prepared, into a plurality of small, disposable bags. The small bags make it easier to transport and use the fluid. The dispensing process is typically accomplished by producing a bag manifold system that includes a plurality of separate discrete bags that are each connected by a section of tubing to a central feed line at spaced apart locations. In turn, the central feed line is connected to a primary container.
Clamps are removably placed at defined points along the feed line and tubing to selectively control feeding of the fluid from the primary container to a select bag. Once one bag is filled, the clamps are manually adjusted to direct the dispensed fluid to a second bag. The process is then repeated until all of the bags are filled. After the bags are filled, the tubing adjacent to each bag is heat sealed closed and then cut so that the filled bags can be removed from the remainder of the manifold.
Although the above manifold system functions, it is cumbersome and labor intensive. For example, most manifold systems typically contain a relatively large number of separate fill bags. These manifold systems are labor intensive to assemble because they include a large number of separate tube sections that must be manually connected together to form the manifold systems. Each connection increases the risk of a leak that would contaminate the sterile fluid. The manifold systems are also unwieldy to package, transport, and position for filling. Likewise, it is labor intensive to monitor the manifold system and adjust the clamps during the filling process.
Accordingly, what is needed in the art are fluid manifold flow systems that have improvements over conventional systems.